Hosting e-commerce based on cloud computing

Abstract

A method of secure automated communication comprises communicating by a computer with a cloud computing service having an address in a first Internet domain, the communicating performed during a first electronic commerce session using an electronic commerce web page rendered by a browser executing on the computer; communicating by the computer with a transaction server having an address in the first Internet domain via a virtual private network (VPN), the communicating performed during the first electronic commerce session using the electronic commerce web page rendered by the browser; determining when the browser is accessing a product information portion of the electronic commerce web page during the first electronic commerce session; determining when the browser is providing confidential information to the electronic commerce web page during the first electronic commerce session; and directing the confidential information to the transaction server via the virtual private network during the first electronic commerce session.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A secure automated communication system, comprising:
 a cloud computing service, wherein the cloud computing service comprises an address in a first Internet domain, wherein the cloud computing service is configured to communicate during a first electronic commerce session using an electronic commerce web page rendered by a browser via a processor executing programming instructions;   a transaction server having an address in the first Internet domain via a virtual private network (VPN), the transaction server configured to communicate during the first electronic commerce session using the electronic commerce web page rendered by the browser;   a computer comprising the browser, wherein the computer is configured to (i) determine when the browser is accessing a product information portion of the electronic commerce web page during the first electronic commerce session, (ii) determine when the browser is providing confidential information to the electronic commerce web page during the first electronic commerce session, and (iii) direct the confidential information to the transaction server via the virtual private network during the first electronic commerce session.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the cloud computing service is configured to provide one of a payment voucher redeemable for product, a purchase of a product, or a purchase of a service during the first electronic commerce session. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to receive the confidential information in a web page embedded in the electronic commerce web page and wherein the embedded web page is configured to direct the confidential information to the transaction server via the virtual private network. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the embedded web page is defined by an inline frame tag in the electronic commerce web page. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the embedded web page is an iframe. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising
 the transaction server configured to (i) track a plurality of pending transactions related to a minimum number of related transactions and (ii) transmit a plurality of payment transaction messages to at least one payment service outside of the first Internet domain when the minimum number of related transactions is achieved.   
     
     
         7 . An electronic commerce system, comprising:
 a third party provided cloud computing service using dynamically scalable resources associated with a first Internet address domain, wherein the third party provided cloud computing service using dynamically scalable resources provide product information, via a product information application;   a secure payment system comprising a plurality of transaction servers associated with the first Internet address domain, the plurality of transaction servers of the secure payment system configured to execute a payment application and a payment transaction action, wherein the payment transaction action includes receiving payment information, requesting product information, receiving product information, sending a secured payment transaction, or combinations thereof, wherein the payment transaction is held until a minimum number of purchases have been committed, wherein the cloud computing service establishes a first electronic commerce session, and provides a web page content and a first session cookie identifying the first electronic commerce session to a browser executing on a computer in a second Internet address domain different from the first Internet address domain, wherein the secure payment system sends a request for product information associated with the first electronic commerce session to the third party provided cloud computing service, wherein the secure payment system receives product information associated with the first electronic commerce session from the third party provided cloud computing service and sends the secured payment transaction to a payment service based on the payment information and based on the product information associated with the first electronic commerce session, wherein the request comprises the first session cookie.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the cloud computing service is unaware of the internet protocol address of the plurality of transaction servers. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the payment information and the first session cookie are received by one or more of the plurality of transaction servers from the browser via a virtual private network (VPN) connection established between the browser and the plurality of transaction servers of the secure payment system. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the dynamically scalable resources is not accessible by the browser, wherein one or more of the plurality of transaction servers of the secure payment system sends the request for product information associated with the first electronic commerce session to the portion of the dynamically scalable resources which is not accessible by the browser. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the portion of the dynamically scalable resources which is not accessible by the browser is configured to accept the request only from the secure payment system. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein one or more of the plurality of transaction servers of the secure payment system is configured to send a payment transaction notification to the third party provided cloud computing service using dynamically scalable resources, and wherein one or more of a plurality of virtual servers of the third party provided cloud computing service, using dynamically scalable resources, is configured to fulfill an electronic commerce action associated with the first electronic commerce session in response to receiving the payment transaction notification. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein one or more of a plurality of virtual servers of the third party provided cloud computing service is configured to provide one of product information or service information, and provide pricing information to the browser and wherein a shopping cart is associated with the first electronic commerce session. 
     
     
         14 . A method of conducting electronic commerce, comprising:
 in response to a request for an electronic commerce web page, a cloud computing system in a first Internet domain initiating a first electronic commerce session;   transmitting a first electronic commerce web page and a first session cookie identifying the first electronic commerce session from the cloud computing system, wherein the first electronic commerce web page comprises content describing a product offering or a service offering;   transmitting a second electronic commerce web page and the first session cookie from the cloud computing system, wherein the second electronic commerce web page comprises an embedded web page that is configured to provide confidential information to a transaction server in the first Internet domain without passing through the cloud computing system;   receiving confidential information provided via the embedded web page and the first session cookie by the transaction server;   sending a request for product offering or service offering information comprising the first session cookie by the transaction server to the cloud computing system;   receiving product offering or service offering information by the transaction server from the cloud computing system; and   sending a payment transaction message by the transaction server to a payment service outside of the first Internet domain.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the embedded web page is an iframe web page. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the iframe web page is a floating iframe web page. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the cloud computing system and the transaction server provide a single web page experience to a browser executing on a computer in a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the cloud computing system is a public cloud computing system. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the communication between the first electronic commerce web page and the second electronic commerce web page and the cloud computing system is not payment card industry (PCI) level 1 through level 4 compliant and wherein the communication between the embedded web page and the transaction server is payment card industry level 1 through level 4 compliant. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the cloud computing system provides dynamically configurable computing resources using a scaleable set of servers.